Car hanger



Dec. 17, 1929. P. s. coMBs, JR 1,740,415

GAR HANGER Original Filed Nov. 29. 1926 3 Sheets-$heet l J7'z0e77707 #2266??? L? gOWZGJZ i Kip 21, 4

Dec. 17, 1929.. v P. 5. comes, JR 1,740,415

CAR HANGER Original Filed Nov. 29, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 17, 1929.P. sQcoMBs, JR

GAR HANGER Original Filed Nov. 29, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec.17, 1929 PRESLEY El. COMES, IR, OF CHICAGG, ILLINOIS,

CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPGRATIGFFT 075 AESTGNOE TC)M'ONQRF "L ENGINEERING- LEN CAR HANGER Substitute for apphcation SerialND; 151,423, filed November 29, 1326.

This application filed @ctober 5,

1929. Serial No. 397,711.

This application is a substitute for applicants prior application,Serial No; 151,423, filed November 29, 1926.

This invention relates to means for supporting or hanging cars fromtrucks of the monorail type, and more particularly to stabilizingmechanism or means for maintaining or tending to hold the trucks andcars in normal or predetermined positions with respect to each other. Inother words, the present invention is intended to provide means forpermitting the truck to have such universal movement with respect to thecar or hanger as may be necessary for the proper operation thereof, suchas when the car is passing around a curve or over vertical deviations orchanges in the track or when the car is subjected to lateral swaying dueto wind pressure or the like.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved hangerfor monorail cars; while other objects are to provide resilient meanstending to hold the car and truck or trucks in predetermined positions;to provide springs or equivalent yielding means tending to hold thetruck in normal position with respect to the car; to provide a universalor ball and socket hanger joint between the hanger and truck; to providea hanger having universal movement with respect to the truck and springsor the like tending to hold the hanger in normal position; and toprovide such other novel features and improvements in construction aswill appear more fully from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred form of myinvention;

Figure 1 is a side view of a section of a monorail track shown on acurve with two cars suspended therefrom;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of the truck and hanger;

Figure l is a side view of the same;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of Figure 5; and

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 5.

Some of the parts shown in these different views are illustrateddiagrammatically and other parts are broken away or omitted forconvenience in illustration. Each car may be supported by any desirednumber of hangers and trucks but as these parts are all substantiallyduplicates, the description will be limited to a single one.

In general, the cars 10 are provided with hangers 11 which support themfrom trucks 12 adapted to be supported by a rail 18. This rail issupported in any suitable manner, as by means of beams 15 which in turnare carried on any suitable track supports which are not shown as theyform no part of the pres entinvention. It is readily apparent. particularly as shown in Figures 1 and 2, that when a monorail car or trainpasses around a curve, the trucks will swing or rotate with respect tothe car body, about a vertical axis as the hangers are rigidly securedto the body. At the same time there is a tendency, due to centrifugalforce, for the body to swing ith respect to the trucks about ahorizontal axis, assuming that the truck is to remain sub stantiallyvertical or normal to the track. ll will also be noted that when thetruclr passes over vertical curves or deformations in the track, thereis a tendency for the truck to swing, with respect to the car, on ahorizontal axis at substantially right angles to the car. On account ofthese movements, as well such other movement as may be desired be tweenthe truck and the hanger or car body, 1 have provided a universal jointor connection between the truck and hanger and resilient means tendingto hold the truck and hanger in n'edetermined position with respect toeach other.

The hanger 11 as shown particularly in Figures 5 and 8 is ofsubstantially U-shape and is connected at its lower end with beams orframe members 16 which support the car or load. The upper end of thehanger comprises, or is secured to a post or arm 17, the lower end ofwhich is provided with a socket -or bearing portion 18 which ispreferably of spherical form and which engages with a similarly shapedspherical bearing 19 which is carried, or formed integrally with, abracket 20 which is rigidly secured to the truck frame. This isconveniently done by bolting or riveting the bracket to cross bars orframe members 21 which are secured to the longitudinal truck beams 22.The upper surface of the socket or bearing member 18 is also preferablymade curved or spherical and is engaged by cap or shroud members 23 and24: which are secured respectively to the beams 22 and the bracket 20and which complete the universal joint and tend to hold the hearingmembers together, sufficient clearance being provided to allow for thenecessary movement between these parts.

The upper end of the post or arm 17 has a spherical head orball 25 whichfits in a socket 26 formed in the adjacent sides of blocks 27 which fitfreely in guideways 28 so that they may have bot-h lateral andlongitudinal movement therein. These guide ways are formed by plates 29and cross bars 30 which are rigidly secured to the upper longitudinaltruck beamsBl, as shown in Figures 5, 6, and 8. The blocks 27 arenormally held in central position in one direction by opposed coilsprings 32. They are also held yieldingly in normal position in i theopposite direction by means of opposed leaf springs 33 which engage withthe bars 30 and with guide strips 34: which in turn engage with theblocks 27, as shown particularly in Figure 6.

The trucks 12 are provided with track wheels 35 which are mounted in thetrucks in any desired manner, and the trucks may be provided with anysuitable motive power (not shown).

From this description, it will be seen that I provide a universalyielding joint or connection between thetruck and the car which willpermit of any necessary or desired movement between these parts while atthe same time tending to hold them or return them to normal positionwith respect to each other. It will of course be apparent that changesmay be made in the details of construction and arrangement of the partsfor adapting the mechanism for difierent uses or conditions, as forinstance in the construction of freight or industrial cars as well aspassenger cars, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to suchdetails of construction or arrangement of parts, except as specified inthe following claims, in which I claim:

1. The combination with a monorail truck and car hanger having auniversal joint con nection therewith, of means for resiliently holdingthe truck and hanger in predetermined position with respect to eachother.

2. The combination with a monorail truck having a spherical bearingsecured thereto,

of a hanger having a substantially vertical upper portion with a socketfitting over said bearing, means tending to hold the socket inengagement with the bearing, the upper portion of the hanger having ahearing at the top thereof, and a plurality of springs interposedbetween said bearing and the truck frame and tending to hold the hangerin pre determined position with respect to the truck.

3. The combination with a monorail truck, of a substantially scphericalbearing secured thereto, a substantially til-shaped bracket adapted tobe supported by the truck and to support a car centrally below thetruck, said bracket having a socket engaging with said bearing andhaving an upwardly projecting arm with a substantially sphericalhearing, blocks engaging with said bearing, and pairs of transverse andlongitudinal springs coacting with said blocks and tending to hold thesame in central position.

4. A monorail railway apparatus comp ising a piurality of trucks, eachtruck having a pair of wheels adapted to operate on an overhead rail, acar, hangers secured to the car and having universal joint connectionswith the trucks, and resilient stablizing means tending to hold thetrucks and car in predetermined position with respect to each other. 7

5. A railway comprising a single supporting rail, trucks having wheelsfor engaging with said rail, a car, hangers secured to said car,universal joint connections between the hangers and the trucks wherebyeach truck is permitted a limited amount of movement in all directionswith respect to the hanger, and spring means tending to hold each truckand hanger in iu'cdctermincd position with respect'to each other.

6. The combination with a truck having its wheels in alinement for amonorail track, of a hanger'having a universal connection therewith, acar supported by the hanger and resilient means tending to hold thetruck in substantially normal position with respect to the car.

PRESLEY S. COMES, JR.

